BACKGROUND We investigated the gait characteristics of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), under free-living conditions, using a wearable device, and assessed their relationships with global cognitive function and motor abnormalities. METHODS The study subjects comprised patients with PD aged less then ?80?years, with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of ?20, free of any motor complications. A wearable sensor with a built-in tri-axial accelerometer was waist-mounted on each patient, and continuous, 24-h records were obtained. The mean gait cycle duration and mean gait acceleration amplitude, under free-living conditions, were computed and analyzed to determine their relationship with disease duration, MMSE score, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part III score, and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD) score. RESULTS The study included 106 consecutive patients with PD. The mean gait cycle duration was 1.18?±?0.12?s, which was similar to that of the normal controls. However, the mean gait acceleration amplitude of PD patients (1.83?±?0.36?m/s2) was significantly lower than that of the control (p? less then ?0.001). In PD patients, the mean gait acceleration amplitude correlated with the MMSE (β?=&nbsp;0.197, p?=&nbsp;0.028), UPDRS Part III (β?=?-?0.327, p? less then ?0.001), and PIGD (β?=?-?0.235, p?=&nbsp;0.008) scores. CONCLUSIONS The gait rhythm of PD patients is preserved at levels similar to those of normal subjects. However, the mean gait acceleration amplitude was significantly reduced in patients with PD. The results indicate that gait acceleration amplitude correlates with the severity of motor disorders and global cognitive function.BACKGROUND The continuum of maternal care has been one of the effective approaches for improving the health of mothers and newborns. Although large numbers of Ethiopian women do not use maternal health services, points of drop out along the continuum are not understood well. Understanding of a particular point of maternal care dropout on the continuum, however, helps governments make effective interventions. This study aimed to assess the extent of women's service utilization and the factors affecting retention on the continuum of care in West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. METHODS A community-based study linked to health facility data was conducted in June 2018. Data were obtained from 1281 mothers who gave birth to their last baby within the preceding 12?months from a two-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a pretested questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of individual and cluster-level factors on key elements of the continuuious levels-individual, household, community, and health facility. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/bms-986235.html Since antenatal care is considered an entry point for the subsequent use of maternal services, strategies that aimed to improve maternal health service utilization should target early initiation and antenatal care quality.BACKGROUND Here we report two patients who developed an atypical macular hole (MH) during the treatment course for diabetic macular edema (DME). CASE PRESENTATIONS Patient 1 was a 73-year-old male. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed perifoveal retinoschisis (RS) in addition to cystoid macular edema and serous retinal detachment (SRD) in his left eye, and that an MH had developed during the clinical course. A convex surface was formed at the MH margin toward the vitreous cavity, and granular shadows were observed in the fluid cuff. Intraoperative findings revealed a thin epiretinal macular membrane (ERM) around the MH. Patient 2 was a 79-year-old male. Although the patient underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in both eyes, RS and a thin ERM in addition to SRD was observed in his left eye after surgery, and an MH developed during the clinical course. As in Patient 1, a convex surface was formed at the fluid cuff margin toward the vitreous cavity. CONCLUSIONS Both patients had persistent DME, SRD, RS, and a thin ERM before the development of the MH. OCT revealed the formation of a convex surface at the MH margin toward the vitreous cavity, suggesting that the fragility of the layered structure of the retina combined with tangential retinal traction may have been involved in the atypical MH form.BACKGROUND The estimated global premature birth rate for 2014 was 10.6%, equating to an estimate of 14.84 million live premature births. The experience of premature birth does not impact solely on the infant and mother as individuals but occurs in the context of a critical point in time when they are developing a relationship with one another. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between social support, mother to infant attachment, and depressive symptoms of mothers with preterm infants within the first 12?months' post discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). METHODS A correlational cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected using a four-part online survey which included the Perinatal Social Support Questionnaire (PICSS), Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) with mothers of preterm infants (n?=?140). RESULTS The prevalence of postnatal depression was 37.9% (95% CI 29.8 to 46.4%). In univariable analy higher level of depressive symptoms. Results emphasise the need for professionals to encourage mobilisation of maternal formal and informal social supports. It is important to intervene early to address maternal emotional well-being and enhance the developing mother-preterm infant relationship.BACKGROUND Dialysis patients are at high risk of developing glucose metabolism disturbances (GMDs), such as diabetes mellitus (DM), impaired fast glucose (IFG), and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). However, it is unclear about the incidence of GMDs in Chinese patients with peritoneal dialysis (PD), as well as the influence of new-onset DM (NODM) on the prognosis of PD patients. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to address these issues. METHODS A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, SinoMed, and CNKI database for studies that evaluated the incidence of GMDs and mortality in patients with PD. Results were expressed as hazard ratio (HR), risk ratio (RR), or estimate (ES) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs).Meta-analysis was performed using a fixed-effects or random-effects model to pool the estimate. RESULTS Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results showed that, the incidences of NODM, NOIGT, and NOIFG were 12% (95%CI 9, 15%; P? less then ?0.